About six months ago I saw an AT&T advertisement that offered a special introductory rate on internet service without a landline. I had looked into doing this several times before but the rate for internet with phone service was always the same price as internet without phone service. This time, when I called AT&T I was told that I could cut my bill by approximately $25/month. There are a few things you might want to consider before you drop your landline.
Emergency Calls
Depending on your location, emergency services may or may not have enhanced capabilities. If you call 911 from your cell phone, will the emergency operator be able to locate you? If you have small children or health issues, you may want to keep the landline for emergency purposes. More and more cities are implementing enhanced 911 services which provide the emergency operator with information regarding your location. This is something you should research for your area to make an informed decision.
Keep Your Traditional Telephones
I don’t always carry my mobile phone around the house. If I’m upstairs and it’s downstairs I don’t hear it. Not long before deciding to drop the landline, I had purchased a new cordless phone system. After doing some research I found the XLink Gateway. Using bluetooth technology, I can connect my mobile phone to my cordless phone system using the XLink. I have only used it with one phone, but according to the product description, you can connect up to three different mobile phones. And if your phone system supports different ringtones, you can set it so that you can tell which mobile phone is receiving a call. Some reviewers complained about call quality but I have not had any issues. I have my phone charger setup by the XLink. Before setting it to charge, I turn on the bluetooth and connect it to the XLink. I can now hear the phone ring anywhere in the house.
Telemarketers
The greatest advantage of dropping the landline is that I don’t get telemarketer calls anymore. I did not receive a single campaign call during the last campaign season! I intend to keep it this way providing my Google Voice number to companies that want my phone number. Google advertises the service as a way to only use one phone number. You provide people with that number and it will ring you at any other number you wish to be reached at. I am using the service a little differently, I do not have my Google Voice number set to forward to another number. Instead, I have it set to go directly to the Google Voice Message system. If anyone calls that number and leaves me a message, I get an email and can then listen to the message.
When I decided to drop my landline, I was afraid I might miss having it but by using the Xlink I really can’t tell much of a difference. And since I’ve limited the number of callers, very little time is wasted with telemarketers.
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